The present invention concerns ankle supports, more particularly to ankle supports for use primarily by hemiplegics, or any person with a paralytic foot.
Hemiplegics suffer from paralysis on one side of the body. Typically, this type of paralysis results in loss of motor function in one arm or one leg or both limbs on the same side of the body. The extent of the loss of limb function depends upon the severity of the brain injury causing the paralysis. In the case of paralysis of the leg, the hemiplegic often loses some or all coordination of the foot, resulting in so-called foot-drop. The foot, if not restrained may be prone to injury and may severely limit the mobility of the hemiplegic. Generally speaking, the hemiplegic uses an orthopedic apparatus, which, in most cases includes a foot support connected to an ankle support for immobilizing the foot. Many designs of orthopedic devices exist, some of which are exemplified in the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,122, issued Sep. 15, 1981 to Mason for xe2x80x9cAnkle-Foot Orthosisxe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,733, issued Jan. 8, 1991 to Broadhurst for xe2x80x9cSub-Talar Stabilizer Ankle Bracexe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,269, issued Jun. 18, 1996 to Reithofer for xe2x80x9cAnkle Joint Orthesisxe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,068, issued Dec. 27, 1994 to Grifka for xe2x80x9cAnkle Joint Bracexe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,968, issued May 21, 1985 to Greene for xe2x80x9cComposite Orthosis For Ankle Sprains and the likexe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,726, issued Mar. 3, 1987 to Westin for xe2x80x9cAnkle Joint Orthosisxe2x80x9d;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,370, issued Sep. 11, 1990 to Pettine for xe2x80x9cAchilles Tendon Rehabilitation Brace And Method For Its Manufacturexe2x80x9d; and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,237, issued Dec. 23, 1997 to Hess for xe2x80x9cDevice For Correcting Ankle Contracturesxe2x80x9d.
The above designs, however, suffer from a number of significant drawbacks. Many of aforesaid designs include complex strap systems to secure the support to the foot, the lower part of the leg and/or the ankle. This complexity may be inappropriate for use by a hemiplegic or a person with a paralytic foot. By securing the lower part of the leg to the support, the latter prevent any dorsal flexion of the ankle and of the knee as would normally occur during walking, thereby forcing the user to have a pronounced lateral displacement of the basin inducing an extended abduction movement of the hip articulation to avoid the foot to likely hit the ground during its forward displacement relative thereto. In a long run this will cause other articulation problems to the user away from the ankle. By eliminating the possible dorsal flexion of the ankle and the knee of the user, the apparatus will force the entire body of the user to fall either forward or on the side in case of lost of his/her equilibrium, as opposed to allow the user to have his/her body to simply fall off when the dorsal flexions are possible. Furthermore, by eliminating the dorsal flexion of the ankle, the apparatus prevents the user from moving his/her foot and feeling that movement which are both very useful for the proper rehabilitation of the locomotive function of the user.
To get around this, some apparatuses include a pivot axis to allow the flexion of the foot. In order to be efficient and comfortable to the user, such a pivot axis needs to be properly aligned with the natural ankle axis of the user, which increases the size and complexity of the apparatus that generally needs to be used in cooperation with an orthopedic shoe.
Moreover, the complex strap systems may prevent the design""s use with conventional shoes and may often not be aesthetically pleasing to the user.
Furthermore, some designs may require additional pieces to enable the support to be comfortably used for extended periods of time. In addition, some designs appear to completely immobilize the lower part of the leg and ankle, which may limit their use to people with sprains or bone breakages and the like.
Furthermore, the sole portion of the apparatuses generally supports the entire length of the foot, thereby constraining the dorsal flexion of the metatarsus and the toes and creating some discomfort to the user.
Thus there is a need for an improved orthopedic ankle support.
The present invention reduces the difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art by providing an ankle support for use by hemiplegics suffering from ankle instability. The ankle support provides a semi-rigid support, which enables the user to maintain the correct form of the foot and ankle, while significantly reducing downwards and lateral movement of the foot relative to the ankle (inversion and eversion movements of the ankle), and allowing the lower portion of the leg to slightly move away from the support without disengaging therefrom. Advantageously, the movement restriction significantly reduces or essentially eliminates the discomfort that occurred with most of the aforesaid designs and enables the apparatus to be worn for a significantly longer time. In addition, the apparatus is adaptable for use with both feet and is designed to fit unobtrusively in a user""s shoe, and does not need to be secured to the user. Accordingly, the sole portion of the present apparatus generally extends from the heel to an area adjacent the metatarsals of the user""s foot, generally at the base of the widest area of the foot, such that the ball of the foot is totally free to flex during walking movement. Furthermore, a pair of resilient braces conforms to the user""s foot when the shoelaces are tightened, thereby improving the comfort and the efficiency of the apparatus and the cooperation of the apparatus to the ankle region of the user for better movement interaction with the shoe. The apparatus is simple to use and inexpensive to manufacture from readily available materials and eliminates the need for complex strap systems.
Aesthetically, a large proportion, including the lateral brace straps, of the apparatus of the present invention is intended to be generally hidden by the shoe of the user while the upper portion, including the side panels, supporting the lower portion of the leg is generally not visible by someone looking at the user from the front.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an ankle support apparatus for use by a person having a paralytic foot, said apparatus comprising: a first body having a first free end portion and a first connector end portion, and a first support portion having a rear wall, said first support portion extending between said first free end portion and said first connector end portion, said first support portion being cooperable with an Achilles tendon of said paralytic foot; a pair of spaced apart side panels extending downwardly from said first connector end portion, said side panels being angled away from each other in a direction leading away from said rear wall; a second body having a second free end portion and a second connector end portion, and a second support portion extending between said second free end portion and said second connector end portion, said second support portion being cooperable with said paralytic foot; said first and second connector end portions being connected to each other to restrict the movement of said second body relative to said first body, said first and second bodies being disposed generally orthogonal relative to each other.
Typically, the first support portion further includes a pair of spaced apart sidewalls, said rear wall interconnecting said spaced apart sidewalls to define an inner surface configured and sized to cooperate with said Achilles tendon and lie against the sides of a lower leg portion. Each of said side panels has a connector point located thereon adjacent said first connector end portion.
Typically, the rear wall includes a concave cutaway portion located between said spaced apart side panels, said cutaway portion being sized and shaped to lie snuggly against the heel. The second support portion includes a rearwardly disposed heel portion, said second support portion being configured and sized to extend from said heel portion and to an area adjacent the metatarsals of the foot. The second support portion is substantially planar.
Typically, the second support portion includes a first cushion attached thereto for supporting a portion of the foot thereon.
Typically, the second body includes a sole having two intermediate connector portions adjacent said second free end portion.
In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a pair of brace straps, each brace strap having respective brace strap connector ends. Each of said brace strap connector ends are respectively connected to said intermediate connector portions and to said connector points. The brace straps are made from a material of sufficient resiliency to allow said brace straps to attain the form of a user""s paralytic foot, said second body being configured and sized to fit inside a shoe of said user, said shoe being tightenable to compress said brace straps around said paralytic foot and ankle.
Typically, said first body and said second body are formed from a single piece of moldable material. Typically, said first body is open to allow movement of said lower leg portion away from and towards said first body.